Knitting-machine.



E. J. FRANCK.

KNITTING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 3,1916.

Patented Mar. 6, 1917.

1SHEET$-SHEET 1 mawrofi "if F t E. I. FRANCK.

KNITTING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 3.191s.

1,218,073. Patented Mar. 6,1917.

ISHEETS-SHEET 2.

E. J. FRANCK.

KNITTING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED JULY 3.1916.

Patented Mar. 6, 1917 TSHEETS-SHEET 3- m v N I 1 33 mm, mm 8 k WM a H W I! IN A M J m. w 6 K Q r R R n" mm M 1 3 Q I I T W% \3 m m H m m m: 3H Q N m W q m G.

E. J. FRANCK.

KNITTING MACHINE.

APPLICATION men J LY 2.191s.

1,21 8,073. Patented Mar. 6, 1917.

Fla; 4.

W/rMe'ss;

E. J. FRANCK.

KNITTING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 3.1916

E. J. FRANCK. KNlTTI NG MACHINE.

APPL| CATION FILED JULY 3, i916.

Patented Mar. 6, 1917.

ISHEETST-SHEET 6.

R m w w E. J. FRANCK.

KNITTING MACHINE.

APPLICATION HLED JULY 3.191e.-

Patented M2136, 1917.

IITOR/VEV.

seer AVAILABLE COP ATES PATENT OFFICE.

EMILE. FRANCE, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENN SYLVANT KNITTING-MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed July 3, 1916. Serial No. 107,253.

To all whom it may, concern:

Be it known that I, Earns J. Fnanoma citizen of the United States, and a resident of Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelr phia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements 111 Knitting-ll'lachines, of which the follow- 1ng 1s a specification.

The principal objects of the present invention are to provide a comparatively simple, durable and reliable machine for knitting stockings, with fashioned. heels and toes and shaped. calf portions, even of line gage; to facilitate and improvethe construction and arrangement by which the calf needles are brought into and out of action; to improve .the combination and arrangen'ient of parts so as to produce neat and attractive Work where the calf is widened; to facilitate the insertion and removal of the calf needles in respect to the needle head; to obtain in a machine of the character described the advan. tages of a rotating needlehead and latch needles; to avoid undue strain on the yarnv where the calf needles are employed 1n shaping the calf portion of the stocking; and to provide for adjustably controlling the positlon of the calf needles when out of action.

The invention will be claimed at the end hereof, but will be first described in connec 'tion with the accompanying drawings, forming part hereof, and. inwhich Figure l, is a side view, partly in. section,

of a machine embodying features of the invention. A

Fig. 2, is an end view, partly in section, of

the same.

- Fi 3 is a horizontal sectio'nalv-iew with I) parts omitted.

Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional view with parts omitted. I i 5 Fig. 5 and Fig. 6 are. view-s, drawn to an enlarged scale, and illustratingfeatures illustrated in Fig. .4. v I

' Fig. 7, is a sectional view, with parts omitted, of the needle cylinder.

Fig. 8, is a sectionalview taken on the 7 line 88 of Fig. 7 partlydiagrammatic,

F ig. 9 is a sectional view drawn to anenlarged scale illustratingtheineedle cylinder.

Fig. 10., is a sectional view line 10-10 of Fig. 9. I

Fig. 11, is a detached sectional'view illustrating parts shown in Fig. .tlbut taken" on a different plane bits of the needles 8 and their,

.needles'are each inclined and are arrzing taken on the F lg. 12, is a view drawn to an enlarged scale of a web h older.-

' Figs. 13 and 14 are diagrammatic views illustrating features hereinafter referred to, and

Fig. 15 is a side view of a modified form of jack.

In the drawings 1 is a revoluble needle cylinder having'a circular set of inclined needle grooves 2 and having asegmental set .65 of inclined needle grooves 3 arranged at an inclination to and inside of the first set of needle grooves 2 and extending below the latter. The needle cylinder is revolubly mounted on a base 4 and the inclined needle grooves 3 may be cut on the. face and part way around the needle cylinder proper, which is somewhat conical, while the iii,- clined needle grooves 2- are cut on the face of a conical addition 5 to the needle cylinder which is connected with it as by a ring 6,,so that the cylinder and the addition revolve together. There are regular needles 7 in the circular set of grooves 2 and. these are of the latch type and some of them have bits that are longer than the bits of the others,

which is a customary provision for use in connection with fashioning the heels and toes. 8 are leg fashioning needles arranged to coiiperate with jacks 9 and the needles 8 and their jacks 9 arejmrranged in the segmental set of grooves 3;. The segmental set of grooves 3 extend down below the circular set of groovesEZ for a purpose that will be presently described in connection with the means ior connecting and disconnecting the jacks 9. While the circular and segmental sets '01 at an inclination to each other, stillgth knock off stitches in the same horiron iplane, 10 are w b holders arranged m appropriate bled carried by a Post 12,

and. 13'is a cam for working the web holders. 14: is a latch guide and it is also carried by the post 12. The cam ring '15 and its acces series for working the regular needles 7 is also carried by the post'12. The post 12 has jointed connection with the part 14 which it carries, so that it may be turned up outof the when required. 16 is a sector-like table revoluble with the needle cylinder and connected with it, for example, by the ring 6. This sector-like table is provided with radiating grooves 17, of which there is one opposite each groove 3 ot the segmental set 0 needle grooves. 18 are pivotal pressers in the groove 17 and adapted to be positioned m such a way that their free ends operating on bonds in the shanks of the needles 8.servc to connect and disconnect them with their jacks 9. These prcssers operate below the regular needles 7. 19 and 520 are tappet arms connected with the ends of a yoke slidably mounted in the post 1:2 and these tappet arms operate to position the pressers as they are rotated. with the cylinder. The pressers are provided with depending lugs 21. The depending lugs of the series terminate at points progressively farther from the needle cylinder considering them from the edges of the table toward the center thereof. Ti s indicated by the use of heavy lines in Fig As the cylinder is rotating the tappet arm 19 is moved progressively outward and so neodlcs S at the ends of the segmental set are thrown into action, one after another. A ttcr all of the noodles 8 have bee ght into action and have een pcrmii l to act fora time, the tappct arm 20 is brought into rangeot' lugs projecting upward from the prcsscrs and arranged in the same circle, so that allot the prcssers are turned down and disconnect the needles 8 from their jacks There is sullicient friction for holding the prcssers lie in the. positions in which they are put by the tappet arms. 23 is a ring that encircles the needles 8 and it can be lifted by a. yoke 24 and when this is done, the needles S can be taken out of the mach ne and replaced by others. 25 is a spring for holding the needles 7 in their grooves and permitting oil; their renewal. 2G is a segment of a ring provided with a flange 97 which projects through asuitahle slot in the needle cylinder and forms a stop for the bits of the needles 8. This ring 26 can be adjusted by loosening the set screw 28 and manipulating the screw 29, which has a conical point, that takes into a hole in the ring section 26. 30 is a lever that is used for giving the jacks 9 an additional movement when the stocking is finished. 32 andl33 are levers which control the cams of the regular needles Tand which are used in connection with the operation of fashioning the heels and toes, which operations really form no part of the present invention but certain instrumentalities used in connection with them are mentioned so as to develop the relation of the mechanisms which do Form part of the invention to certain usual parts of the machine In passing it may be said that in the heel and toe fashioning and widening, picker mechanism may be employed but it is not illustrated, since it is well understood and has nothing to do with the present invention. Inasmuch as some of the needles, 7 have short hits and some of them have long hits, as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 9,

BEST AVAILABLE cor it may be said that this has to do with getting some of these needles into and out ol. action in order to fashion the heels and toes.

A description will now be given of means for operating the parts that enter into the present invention and incidentally reference will be made to certain features of these means which are not directly concerned with the present invention but are concerned with other known features of the machine. I

34 is a main shaft on which is mounted asleeve 35 provided with tight and loose pulleys 36 and 37, a clutch member 38, and a pinion 39. The pinion '39 meshes with a toothed wheel l0 connected by. aliiilrll with the arm 42 of a toothed quadrant-l3 journaled at 44. The quadrant l3 meshes with a pinion 45, loose on the shaft tlhnnd provided with aclutch member ill. In consequence of this arrangementtho pinion 39 rotates continuously in one direction andthe pinion 45 is uwiw'ocalcd. The purpose of this t to IH'UVlllrrciprocatiug motion for the necdle-cylindoduriugthe operation of widening and llzlII'OWlllg the heels and toes and conthiuousrotary motion for knitting the oth parts of the stocking. 47 is a clutch ,iber splined to the shaft 34: and adapte for engagement with either the pinion 39 or the pinion l5. The needle cylinder is driven from the shaft 31%; by gears 48, 49, 50 and 51. Theshipper arm 52 ot' the clutch member 47 is controlled by an edge-cam 53 mounted ona counter-shaft 54, Fig. 3. This cam is controlled so as to shift the clutch and produce properdwells between its movement. There is a pawl arm 55, shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2, and it isniounted on the shaft 5% and actuated from the quadrant 43 by a sliding] connection 56. This pawl arm carries pawls 5'7 and 58. The pawl 57 drives the pattern. chain wheel 59 continuously and the-pawl 58 drives the cam 53 one revolution and then workshack and forth idly in a "space (30 formed by the omission of one of the teeth so that the-cam comes to rest. A pattern chain 61 is provided with lugs, of which one 62 is shown, that abuts on lugs 63 of which one is shown) on the cam and so turn it sufficiently to .permit the pawl 58 to resume its described operation. There is a double face cam 64 mounted on the shaft 65 and one face of this cam acting on one end of the lever 66 causes the other end thereof, operating through a, link 67, to properly shift the yoke that carries the tappet arms. The other face of this cam 64 operates upon' one arm 68 of a hollow-shaft 69 mounted on another shaft 7 0. The other arm 71 of the hollow shaft operates through the intervention of .the link 72, and cam lever 80. Inasmuch n.s -,the hollow shaft G9 is mounted to turn freely on the shaft Y it may be said that theshipper 52 is connected with the shaft 70 and that the shaft, 70 is provided with arms which through the is provided with a pawl 7 9 wide enough to 4 permit the pawl '1 7 to resume its normal opoperate on theteeth of two wheels and '81, both of whichare loose on the shaft 65, and of which 81, is connected with the cam (ll. serred that the wheel 80 is larger than the wheel 8i and that the wheel 80 is provided at internals with deep. teeth 82, so that the pawl 9 can only drive the wheel 81 when it able to reach its teeth by entering one of the deep-;. teeth 82. This produces comparatively slow movement of the wheel 81.

There is on the face of the wheel 81 a guard plate 83 capable of a-ran'ge of movement concentrie with but independent of the wheel. This guard plate is shifted in one direction by a spring 84, shown in dotted lines in Fig. 5, and in the other direction by a crank arm 85. The guard plate is pro vided with high teeth 86, higher than the teeth on either of the wheels 8]. and 80, so tliat the pawl 77 can ride on them without producing motion of either of the Wheels 81 or 80. The crank arm 85 is fast on a shaft 87, Fig. 3, which has another crank arm 88 and this crank arm 88, when turned, eli'ects movement of the guard plate 83 to oration. The crank arm 88 is turned by projections on a lever 89 mounted loosely on the shaft 65 and operated through a link 90 connected with one arm 91 ofa bellcrankdever the other arm 92 of which is in range of and is operated by the pattern chain 61, to which reference has been made.- ll hen the cam 64 is at rest, with the pawl 77 working on one of the high teeth 86 of the guard, the pattern chain operating through the parts 92, 91, 90 and 89 shifts the guard and so permits the resume its ordinary opgration.

Fi 14; illustrates diagrammatically that there are two web-holders between each of the regular needles 7 that extend between the ends of the group of needles 8 and that there one web-holder between each of the needles 7 and 8 which tends to formity in the work. J

13 illustrates, considering the lower produce uni- By reference to Fig. 5 it Will beob- BESTAVAH-ABLE cor part of the sheet to be the center of. the needle cylinder, how the calf needles 8 are inside of the regular needles 7 and how the web-holders project the loop X, which is the second loop, from the top in such a way that the calf needles 8 when they come into action pass through the loop There is an ad-'- vantage in having the calf needles inside of l the regular needles for as the calf needles come into action and take thethread, the

latter is not subjected to the same strain as it would be if the calf needles were outside of the regular needles. Again the making the fobjectionable holes in the fabric is avoided. It is the hook 93 on the web-holder 10 that carries the loop X into the position shown in Fig. 13. The loop Y Fig. '13, is

back of the hook '98, for example, at the,

location indicated by 94, Fig. 12. The slot 95 in the web-holders accommodates the ring '96 and so properly guides the web holders.

The toe, foot, heel and ankle part of the stocking are knitted on the regular needles 7 as is well understood. The calf is widened by bringing the extra needles 8 into action along with the needles 7. The first step in this operation is to hrow the jacks 9 into action in connection with their knitting cams and to actuate the pressers 1S oneafter the calf needles and the jacks 9 are put out of action. The mechanism for doing thesi things has been above described and its action is, of course, timed for their ac'com plishment. Referring to Fig. 15 the jack: 9 is provided with a comparatively wide.

.0 enin 9 and with a com )arativel narrow opening 9 and the purpose is to operatethe needles in such a way that they make first a short stroke and then strokes of regular length. When making a short stroke the needle bits are in 9'" and when making full strokes the needle bits are in 9.

What I claim is:

1. In a knitting machine the combination of a revoluble needle cylinder having a circular set of inclined needle grooves and a segmental set of inclined needle grooves arranged at an inclination to and inside of the first set and extending below the latter, regular needles in the circular set of grooves, legfashioning needles and their jacks in the segmental. set of grooves, a sector-like radiating set of pivotal pressers revoluble with the needle cylinderand arranged below the circular set of needle grooves and adapted to connect and disconnect the. leg fash ioning needles and their jacks a tappet device for positioning the prcssers as they re tate with the cylinder, and means for operating said parts, substantially as described.

2. In a knitting machine a revoluble needle cylinder having a circular set of 111- clined needle grooves and a segmental set of inclined needle grooves arranged at an inclination to and insideof the first setand extending below the latter, regular needles in the circular set of grooves, leg fashioning needles and their jacks in the segmental set of grooves. a sector-like table revolving with the cylinder and provided with radiating slots of Which one is opposite the lovver portion of each groove of the segmental set, pivotal pressers in said notches adapted to be positioned for connecting and disconnecting the leg-needles and jacks, a tappet device for positioning the pressers as they are rotated with the cylinder, and means for actuating said parts, substantially as described.

23. In a knitting machine, a revoluble needle cylinder having a segmental set of inclined needle grooves and a circular set of in clined needle grooves arranged at an inclination to and inside of the first setand extending below the latter, leg needles and their jacks in the segmental set of grooves, a knitting cam for the jacks, a cam for putting the jacks into and out of action, a set of radiating pressers revoluble with the cylinder-and arranged below the circular set of needle grooves and adapted to progressively connect the needles and acks. a

tappet device for operating the pressers,

and their acks, a SGCEOIHMW more carried by and projecting from the cylinder and provided with radiating slots, pressers pivotally mounted in said. slots and projecting beyond the plane of the table, a tappet device coopcrating with the piojecting portions of the pressers, and means for actuating said pa rts.

' 6. In a knitting machine the combination of a generally conical needlecylinder having a segmental set of needle grooves, a section of needle cylinder mounted on and around the first mentioned cylinder and of less conical inclination and having a circularset of needle grooves terminating above the segmental set of needlegrooves to provide space, leg-needles and their jacks in the segmental set of grooves. jack releasing mechanism in said space, and means for actuating said parts.

T. In a knitting machine the combination of two conical needle cylindersin nested relation with space between, a segmental set of needle grooves on the inner cylinder, a needle retaining ring section overlying said grooves, and means for shifting said ring, substantially as described.

8. In a knitting machine the combination 5 of a needle cylinder having a segmental set of needle grooves and a circumferential slot at the base of and substantially co-extensive with sa d set of needle grooves, a ring section having a needle-stop-fiange projecting into said. slot, and means for adjusting the ring section.

In a lemming machine the combination of a generally conical needle cylinder hav-' ing a segmental tion of needle cylinder mounted on ,and around the first mentioned cylinder and of less conical inclination and having a circular set of needle grooves terminating above the segmental set of needle grooves to provide space, leg-needles in the segmental set of grooves, leg needle releasing mechanism in said space, and means for actuating said parts. i

EMlL J FRANCK.

t of needle grooves, a sec: 

